Interlocking device for trunks.



R. PARSONS.

INTERLOCKING DEVICE FOR TRUNKS. APPLICATiON FILED SEPT. 1 19I6.

Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

- a citizen of the United States, residing at nnrrnn srarns narnnr ornoa.

RICHMOND PARSONS, OF PHILADELPHIA; PENNSYLVANIA.

' INTER-LOCKING DEVICE FOR TRUNK/S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1, i916. see No. 118,118;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHMOND PARsoNs,

Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in InterlockingDevices for Trunks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists of improvements in interlocking devices fortrunks, and is particularly serviceable for use on wardrobe trunks.

One. of the objects of my invention is to provide a device which will beoperative to securely lock trunks and when in its locked position, willserve to reinforce the trunk.

Another object of my invention is to providelocking means whichwillautomatically unlock when another look is opened by a key or otherselective means, said locking means being simultaneously locked whenelevation showing the interior of-a trunk having my improvedinterlocking device thereon, said view showing the manner in which thetwo sections of the trunk are secured together by my invention, Fig.3 isa section on the line aa of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is an inverted sectionalplan view'on the line b,?) of Fig. 2.

' 'Referring to the drawings 1 represents a wardrobe trunk having twosections2 and 3 which separate on the parting line a. A lock 5 issecured to the outer face of the trunk and bridges or extends across theparting 4. The section 6 of the lock is rigidly secured to the section 3of the trunk, and. the section 7 of said lock is hinged at 8 to thesection 6.

The section 7 of the lock is provided with a plug portion 9 which entersa hole 10 in a lock casing 11, the latter having a'sleeve 12 which fitsan opening or hole 13 pwhich ex:

tends entirely through the section2of the I trunk.

section 2 of the trunk, and its inner end The sleeve 12 is securelymounted onfthe;

forms anabutment for bolts 14 which are retracted by the insertion andmovement of a key within the lockto permit the open ing of said lock.

On the inner surface of the trunk section 2, I secure a plurality ofsubstantially U- shaped Inembers15 which have ears 16 riveted orotherwise fastened to the section 2. These members form a slide-way fora longitudinally extending bar 17.Wl110l1 has thereon pins 18 providedwith heads .19.

These pins 18 extend'through slots 20 on lockingarms21 pivoted at 22 tobearing.

plates 23 on the trunk section 2. These arms 20 have their-opposite ends24 provided with a hook designed. to enter loops 25 madeuof strapmetalor other suitable material. -These loops' 25 are secured by rivetsor other means to the inner surface of the trunk 'section3, and in thepresent instance extend across the parting 41, so that when thehooke'dends 24 of the arms engage.

trunk sections 2. and?) together.

A plate 26 is secured to the inner surface the loops 25, they acttosecurely hold the of the trunk section 2 and in substantial Tvalinement withthe bar 17.- -A: hinge 27, con sisting of two plates-28and29, is positionedbetween the bar17 and plate 2.6. The plates 28 and29 are hinged together at 30, the opposite ends of the plates 28 and 29being respectively hinged to the-plate 26 and to a the bar 17 as shownat 31 .and 32.

A coiled tension spring. 33 has its opposite ends attached to pins 34 oneach of the plates 28 and '29. The hinged portion 3'0of the plates 28and 29 is so located thatwhen the lock 5 is closed, the plugportion 9therer of will serve to keep the plates 28 and, 29 and the bar 17 intheposition illustrated'in full lines. in the drawing with the arms ,21 inlocking engagement with the. loops 25. When the hinge 30. is heldinthisposition,

the spring 33 is under tension, and serves to keep the hinge 30 inengagementwiththe,

plug portion 9.

'When' the lock 5 is opened,'the spring33 into vthe hole previouslyoccupied by the plug'portion 9, and in so "doing will-f. cause will thenactto force the hinge portion 30 y the bar'17to be moved longitudinallyand." 7 thereby move thehooked ends 24: ofthe arms 21 out of the loops'25, and thereby permit the trunk sections 2 and 3 to be opened. Thisposition assumed by the hinge portion 30 and the bar 17 is shown indot-and-dash lines in Fig. 3.

To againlock the trunk, it is only neces sary to push the plug portion 9of the lock 5 into the hole provided for it, and "during thismovement,the plug engages the hinge portion 30 and pushes it into the-full lineposition tomatically unlock all of the arms 21 from their respectiveloops 25. I

- In the drawings, 1 have illustrated only two arms 21, but it will beunderstood that any number may be used if desired.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it willbe under stood that the various parts of my invention may be changedwithout departing from the ,spirit thereof, and hence I do not limitmyself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am atliberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within thescope of the appended claims.

.l-laving thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire tosecure by Lettons Patent is:

1. The combination of a trunlna lock thereon, additional locking meansfor the trunk including a hinged joint designed to abut said first lookwhen the latter is in its closed position, and automatic means operativeto bend said hinged joint and thereby move said additional means into anunlocked position when said first lock is opened, substantially asdescribed.

2. Thecombination of a hole therein, a lock on the outside of said trunkhaving a portion exposed to the interior of said trunk through themedium of said hole, additional locking means slidably mounted on theinterior of said vtrunk, a hinged joint connected to said locking meansand designed to abut said interior exposed portion of said lock, meanssecured to the interior of said trunk, and connected to said hingedjoint, and automatic means operative to bend said hinged joint and thereby move said additional locking means into an inoperative position whensaid first lock is opened, substantially as described.

trunk having a 3. The combination of a trunk having a hole therein, alock on the outside of said trunk'having a'portion extending into saidhole, additional locking 'means on the in terior of said trunk andincluding a hinged joint, for engagement with a portion of the look whenthe latter is in its closed position,

and ayspring for moving said joint when permitted to do so by theopening movement of the lock, whereby'said additional means is unlocked,substantially 'as described.

4. The combination of .a trunk having a hole therein and made in twosections, a lock on the outer face of the trunk and having aportionexposed to the interior of the trunk through the medium of saidhole, additional locking means on the interior of said trunk including aslidable bar, a fixed member secured to the interior, two members hingedto each other and respectively hinged to the fixed member andto theslidable bar, a spring connecting said hinged members and operative,when thefirst lock is moved to an open position, to move the members ontheir hinge and thereby effect longitudinal movement of said bar, saidbar having locking means connected therewith which is released by saidmovement of the bar, substantially as described.

5. The combinationof a trunk made in two sections, one of said sectionshaving a hole'therein, a hinged lock having a portion secured to one ofsaid sections and having another portion designed to cover the hole inthe other of said sections, a bar slidably movable within said trunk, aplate fixed within said trunk and in substantial alinement with saidbar, two. plates hinged together and to the first-mentioned plate and tothe bar, a tension spring connecting said second-mentioned plates, armspivoted to the interior of one of said trunk sections. loops secured tothe interior of the other of said sections, means operatively connectingthe barwith said arms to move their hooked ends into and out ofengagement with said loops, said outer locklwhen in its closed positionacting to prevent movement of said plates by the spring, and therebyhold the arms in their locked positions, said spring, when the lock ismoved into an open position, acting to move said second-mentioned platesinto the space previously occupied by said first look when in its closedposition, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHMOND PARSONS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE MARX, Jos. A. KEMME.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

